


Hart of the Matter

by AZGirl



Series: Hart of the Matter [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Confrontations, Drama, Episode: s07e14 Masquerade, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27549172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/pseuds/AZGirl
Summary: Gibbs and Tony discuss his involvement with M. Allison Hart. An AU tag to ep 7.14 Masquerade.
Series: Hart of the Matter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013751
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Hart of the Matter

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another of my NCIS stories that somehow never made it to this site. This is one of a series of five season 7 episode tags featuring Gibbs and Tony and their dealings with M. Allison Hart. This first story was originally posted on fanfiction.net on 8 February 2010.

**ooooooo**

**One: Hart of the Matter**

DiNozzo saw the car as soon as he turned onto Gibbs’ street. His gut immediately told him to keep going past the house without stopping, so he did just that.

At the end of the street, he turned around and parked his car in a spot untouched by the light of the street lamps. Shutting the engine off, he glanced towards the house, and through the window saw two figures.

The taller of the two he knew was his boss, but he could only guess at the identity of the other, shorter person in the room. There wasn’t enough light to see exactly what was going on, but he could clearly tell that the room’s two occupants definitely felt some amount of hostility towards each other.

That’s when it occurred to him who the other person in the house might be. Currently, only one person could get Gibbs so riled up like that – M. Allison Hart. His suspicion was confirmed only seconds later when Gibbs turned on the room’s light.

Tony was now able to see clearly into the room, and he noted that Gibbs had this look on his face that was normally reserved for interrogating suspects. He was unsure what Hart’s expression meant, but it almost seemed like she was baiting Gibbs. He didn’t understand what game either one of them were playing, but he knew he would back Gibbs no matter what.

As he took a sip of his rapidly cooling coffee, he nearly choked a moment later when he saw Gibbs and Hart lean in to kiss each other.

_What the…?_ Tony thought to himself. _That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Gibbs. That’s, of course, assuming it is a game. And, I definitely shouldn’t assume – it’s against the rules_.

They continued in their close embrace, and he almost hated himself for watching. When they lowered themselves to the couch, he almost convinced himself to leave, but his gut was telling him to stay.

ooooooo

Sitting in the dark in a car during the height of winter was definitely not his idea of a good time, but now that Gibbs had taken things to this level they definitely had to talk.

_Maybe I’m wrong to think Gibbs was going according to some plan. Maybe Gibbs really does like Hart despite the fact that she’s a lawyer._

He sighed and pulled his coat tighter around himself. They definitely needed to talk, and he’d wait all night if he had to.

He glanced back towards the house. Gibbs and Hart were still on the couch, and he wondered if they were going to move things to the bedroom. He hoped not because he knew Gibbs’ shoulder was still in a lot of pain – even though his boss would never admit to it. Though, and he could practically feel the head slap for even thinking this, he knew they could easily get around Gibbs bum shoulder if they were really determined.

He hated surveilling a house that normally he’d be welcomed in. Spying on Gibbs reminded him a little too much of the mess he found himself in last year while trying to look out for Ziva. That situation had ended…“badly” just seemed such a wholly inappropriate word to describe everything that had happened.

Gibbs was probably the most important person in his life. _Who am I kidding?_ he nearly said aloud. _Gibbs is the most important person in my life_. _Somehow over the last almost nine years, Gibbs and his gruff ways have managed to fill the emptiness that my father’s absence and neglect had created inside me._

He didn’t think he would be able to survive if Gibbs wasn’t in his life – keeping him focused, keeping him alive, being his friend and mentor, just … being there for him. In fact, he knew it would destroy him if he lost all of that. Without Gibbs in his life there was really no point in staying with NCIS or even in D.C., though he knew Abby and Ducky would try to convince him otherwise.

He took another sip of his coffee to try to dispel the morose thoughts whirring around inside his head. It definitely worked as he got a mouthful of ice-cold coffee – something that was really only appropriate during the summer months in his opinion. He looked toward the living room window, but quickly averted his eyes to keep from watching everything they were doing.

He checked his watch to see that it had been almost 30 minutes since he had arrived at Gibbs’ house. He looked longingly at the bag on his passenger seat. It had been his turn to bring dinner, and the now cold Chinese food still smelled delicious to his empty stomach. With his luck, if he ate any of the food now, then Hart would leave soon after he finished thereby earning Gibbs’ wrath and more than likely an extra head slap. Tony decided he’d wait for now, and let the growling of his stomach distract him from a task that normally didn’t seem so voyeuristic or such an invasion of privacy.

He glanced again at the house and observed Hart standing up before turning back slightly and holding out her hand. DiNozzo could almost swear his jaw dropped to hit the steering wheel when Gibbs actually accepted the help off the couch. They began walking slowly in the direction of both the stairs and the front door.

It was the moment of truth. If the front door _didn’t_ open in the next few minutes, then he knew that he’d have to spend a frozen night alone in his car waiting to talk to his boss in the morning. If the front door _did_ open, then they’d have to talk. And while he knew what needed to be said, he just didn’t know how to say it without risking some sort of fall out between them.

Two minutes later, the front door opened. He watched as Gibbs kissed Hart one last time before escorting the lawyer to her car. Gibbs stayed outside just long enough to make sure it started before turning back towards his door and purposefully striding towards it.

Tony started counting backwards from ten while reaching into his coat pocket for his cell phone. By the time he had reached six, it rang.

Without checking the caller ID, he flipped his phone open and said, “I brought Chinese.”

His boss dispensed with the pleasantries and ordered, “Get your ass inside before you freeze to death.”

Tony smiled as he flipped his phone shut and watched as Gibbs entered the house. He started to grab for the take out, but stopped as a thought suddenly leaped to mind. He grabbed a pad of paper and pen from the car’s glove box and wrote something down. He then tore the sheet of paper off the pad and tossed it and the pen back in before grabbing the bag of their long-cold dinner.

Entering the house, he deposited his coat on the stand by the door while saying, “Sorry I’m late with dinner Boss, but there was a lot of traffic due to a nearby accident.”

Entering the living room, he immediately came almost face-to-face with Gibbs, who motioned that someone could be listening at the same time he held up the note he’d written in the car, which said: _Safe to talk?_

Gibbs got this odd look on his face before he smirked and said in a disappointed tone, “DiNozzo how many times do I have to tell you to never say you’re sorry. It’s a—”

“I know. I know. A sign of weakness.” Tony said in a dejected voice all the while smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Tony started to turn away to put the bag of food on the coffee table when he felt the sting to the back of his head.

“Ow!” he exclaimed lifting a hand to the newly tender spot on his head. “What was that for?”

“Interrupting me,” Gibbs replied looking like he was enjoying the charade a little too much.

ooooooo

They had been eating in what was actually their more usual than not silence when Tony said, “I need to get going soon. I have to get back to the office to finish some paperwork or my boss will head slap me for not getting it done on time.”

Gibbs smirked and said, “He probably would, and he might do it in the next couple of minutes if you’re not careful. I might go in with you. Vance keeps bugging me about getting some HR-related paperwork done that’s a complete waste of time, but is apparently necessary to make the world go round.”

“Great,” Tony replied managing to make it sound like it was actually the least ‘great’ thing he’d ever heard.

ooooooo

They finished eating and made short work of cleaning up their mess.

Once outside his front door, Gibbs said in a low voice, “I’ll meet you at the park down the street.”

Tony had already been walking to his own car at Gibbs’ statement so he acknowledged it with a wave.

ooooooo

At the park, Tony pulled into the space next to Gibbs’ truck. He got out of his just now warming up car and got into Gibbs’ perfectly toasty one.

Gibbs handed him a hot coffee and took a sip of his own. Tony shook his head in disbelief and wondered just how fast his boss had driven to be able to pick up the hot beverages and still make it to the park ahead of him.

“Thanks, Boss,” he said as he took a sip, smiling that his friend had remembered just how he liked his coffee.

They sat silently for a few moments before they each took a sip from their respective coffees.

Gibbs broke the silence by asking, “Why did you think my house was bugged?”

“Well,” Tony began and paused. He took a breath and continued, “Hart was obviously waiting for you in your house when you got home. She had who knows how much time to plant any number of listening devices. Apparently you thought the same thing otherwise you wouldn’t have signaled me like that back at your house.”

“You don’t trust Hart?” Gibbs asked already knowing what answer his senior field agent would give.

“Hell no, Boss! Colonel Bell is planning something – perhaps even some type of revenge against you or the team – and I just know that she’s working with him.”

He knew Gibbs was waiting for more of an explanation, but instead he paused and looked down at the coffee cup in his hand. He suddenly felt unsure if he should continue to voice his thoughts about what he’d observed between Gibbs and Hart.

He took a deep breath and looked Gibbs in the eyes.

“Yesterday, you told me you suspected Hart was only taking those pro bono cases that would put her in a position to yank your chain and make our lives miserable. But, based on tonight’s, uh, advancement in your relationship, I have to wonder if that’s what you still think. So, I have to ask – are you interested in her or is this all part of some plan?”

For a brief moment, Tony saw anger in Gibbs’ eyes which then gave way to something he couldn’t quite identify.

Before Gibbs could say anything though, Tony continued on, “I need to know Gibbs. Something is not quite right about all of this. More than once you’ve said there are no coincidences. I wouldn’t be doing my job as senior field agent, or even as your friend, if I didn’t warn you about how potentially dangerous it is to get involved with Hart. If this is part of a plan to find out what Bell is up to, then I want to be in on it. I want to help.” He smiled broadly and added, “Besides, someone needs to watch your six, right?”

Gibbs brought his hand up, and Tony closed his eyes, flinching in preparation for a head slap that would probably knock him into next Tuesday. Instead, he felt a hand gently grab the back of his neck and give it a slight squeeze.

He opened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected physical affection and saw Gibbs smirking.

“Right,” he said before releasing Tony’s neck and giving him a tap under the chin.

Tony gave a small smile, and they both turned to look out the front windshield. As they each took sips of their coffees, Tony hoped maybe this time, helping a friend would turn out better than the last time. In response to his thoughts, Tony’s gut briefly twisted.

_Maybe not_ , he thought miserably. 

**ooooooo**

**_The end_ ** **.**

**ooooooo**

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing. Any remaining mistakes are my fault. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> *Please do not repost or use this or any of my other works on another site or app without my knowledge or consent. FanFiction and Archive of Our Own are the only two sites (as AZGirl on both) where my fiction should be posted. Thank you!


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